U.S. declares warming gases are health threat

Obama administration move is aimed at prodding lawmakers to regulate

Charlie Riedel / AP

This coal-fired power plant is one of some 600 across the United States that together provide half of the country's electricity — and much of its greenhouse gas emissions.

WASHINGTON - Having received White House backing, the Environmental Protection Agency declared Friday that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a significant threat to human health and thus will be listed as pollutants under the Clean Air Act — a policy the Bush administration rejected.

The move could allow the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, but it's more likely that the Obama administration will use the action to prod Congress to pass regulations around a system to cap and then trade emissions so that they are gradually lowered.

The EPA last month sent its proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which reviewed and approved it. By law, the decision includes a public comment period before being finalized.

The heat is going to turn up to think about how you are going to green your data center, and there will be no shortage of new news on this topic. Data Centers watch out as you are target rich. Growing faster than anyone else, and being operated by the richest companies – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Ebay, Yahoo, and many others. It used to be I would list financials, but given the current climate the gov’t would be going after their own ownership.

Get ready for energy and carbon audits and compliance as more of what you need to think about in data center operations.